Consumer prices up 2.0 percent from April 2013 to April 2014

May 19, 2014

Over the last 12 months, April 2013–April 2014, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) all items index increased 2.0 percent before seasonal adjustment; this compares with a 1.5-percent increase for the 12 months ending in March and is the largest 12-month increase since July.

The food index advanced 1.9 percent over the 12 months ending in April. The food at home index has risen 1.7 percent over the past 12 months, with the index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs up 6.4 percent over this 12-month period, the largest increase among the major grocery store food groups. The index for food away from home increased 2.2 percent over the last 12 months.

The energy index rose 3.3 percent over the April 2013–April 2014 period, with all major components increasing over that time. The index for natural gas rose 11.8 percent over the last 12 months, while the gasoline index increased 2.4 percent and the electricity index advanced 2.1 percent.

The index for all items less food and energy rose 1.8 percent over the last 12 months. This figure has remained in the range of 1.6 percent to 1.8 percent for 13 months in a row. The shelter index increased 2.8 percent over the last 12 months; this figure has been trending upward. The medical care index rose 2.4 percent over this time. The new vehicles index rose 0.4 percent, while the index for used cars and trucks advanced 0.2 percent.

These data are from the BLS Consumer Price Index program and are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index — April 2014" (HTML) (PDF), news release USDL-14-0811.

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